Good design makes our life easier. That’s why it’s important for the creators to try and imagine themselves in other people’s shoes when sketching things for their use. Whether it’s a playground or an office building, those responsible for the design have to consider the needs of different groups of people, for instance, those with disabilities, seniors, or children, just to name a few; and that might not be easy. However, some people excel at the task and provide exemplary results.

Today we have gathered some of the best examples of design that alleviates life with and for children. Whether it’s something that helps parents to handle their little ones, or solutions that aid the kids themselves, these people knew exactly what would come in handy for one of the two groups. Their ingenious designs cover everything from tiny doors to playtime areas at the dentist’s, and much more. Scroll down to find their concepts.

In order to better understand what makes a good design and what effect it can have on people, Bored Panda reached out to the architectural psychologist and professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Dak Kopec. He was kind enough to share some of his thoughts, which you will find in the text below.

#1 This See-Saw Has Sliding Weights So Different-Sized Kids Could Play Together

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#2 Miniature Traffic Playground In Copenhagen Where Kids Learn To Bike In Traffic

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#3 A Test Of Maturity

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It’s not easy to find a universal definition of what good design is. It’s a complex matter that involves creativity, anticipating and understanding the end-user’s needs, and so much more. Yet, oftentimes, people recognize a good design when they see one intuitively.

That is because such design is typically expected to tick two main boxes—functionality and aesthetics. An item has to serve a purpose, however, it has to be visually appealing as well, which is why it’s important to find that middle ground. When the designer reaches this goal, it automatically positively reflects in the user’s experience.

#4 My Car Wash Has A Soap Cannon For Kids

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#5 I Saw A Special Swing For Wheelchair-Bound Children

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A set of requirements for what a good design should be was presented by Dieter Rams, a renowned German designer who spent decades working with the consumer products company Braun and the furniture company Vitsœ.

Back in the late 1970s, he asked himself the question “is my design good design?” and came up with 10 principles for good design that are equally relevant to this day. The first thing he emphasized was that it has to be innovative. The constant technological advancements provide an abundance of opportunities for innovation, which is why it’s important to try and keep up.

#6 This Playground Has A Sign So Hearing And Deaf Kids Could Play Together

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#7 My Husband Built This Indoor Playhouse For Our Foster Children, Complete With A Kitchen, Real Working Windows, And Lights

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#8 These Kids Toilets In A London Museum. Whose Sinks Slope To Cater For Progressively Shorter Children

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Second on the list was usefulness, which is what you get after combining functionality with certain psychological functions and aesthetics. Rams suggested that good design accentuates the usefulness of a product by relinquishing anything that does not serve its purpose.

He continued to emphasize the importance of aesthetics itself, as well as noting that good design makes a product understandable. In addition to that, it has to be unobtrusive, as functional products are not decorative objects, nor works of art, which is why they should be quite neutral.

#9 The Publix In My Hometown Gives Out Fruits To Kids For Free

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#10 This Book Is For Children To Teach How To Tie Shoes

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#11 This Park Has A Swing Where A Parent And A Kid Can Swing At The Same Time

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The rest of the ten principles pointed out that good design should be honest and long-lasting. It should also be thorough down to the last detail and environmentally-friendly. Last but not least, according to Dieter Rams, good design is as little design as possible, which relies on his approach of “less, but better”.

#12 These Special, Short Windows For Curious Children To See The Construction Site

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#13 My City Has A Mock City To Train Kids Rules Of Traffic. It Includes A McDonald’s And Tim Horton’s

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#14 My Daughter’s First Grade Classroom Has Desks With Pedals So Kids Can Move While Learning

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Any design depends largely on the end user. It’s important to take into account their needs, in addition to weighing numerous other factors, such as their environment, for instance. Architectural psychologist, Prof. Dak Kopec told Bored Panda that an in-depth interview process and surrounding community analysis is the best way to anticipate design decisions that can benefit certain groups of people the most.

“A good designer will be able to assess a group of end-users’ needs through asking strategic questions, observing the intended end-users in similar environments, and studying the regional cultural nuances along with values, traditions, and norms,” he said.

Dr. Kopec pointed out that these factors are all regional—within a given city, county, or township—which is why, according to him, a good designer will not assume that a cluster of people will be the same in London, New York, Honolulu, Sydney, and elsewhere.

#15 Bus For A Pre-School Kids. Spotted In Nagoya

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#16 They Make Mini Replica MRI Machines, Complete With Noises, To Prepare Children For Their Scan

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#17 The Children’s Playground At The Airport In Zürich, Switzerland. It’s A Mini Airport

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“Good design helps relieve stress and promote ideal behaviors or outcomes when it properly reflects the community it serves. Colors, patterns, geometry, art, etc. are all symbols that reflect a community’s values, preferences, and desires. An environment that does not reflect the population will cause people to feel as though they do not belong, which can result in fear, anger or frustration,” architectural psychologist and professor at the School of Architecture at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Dak Kopec told Bored Panda.

#18 My Local Domino’s Has A Stand For Kids To Come Up And Watch Them Make Pizzas

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#19 This Toilet Has A Separate Door For Children

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#20 This Shopping Cart Has A Spot For Kids To Stand On While The Parents Push

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Designing for children is no exception—as with any other group, it requires thorough research that helps to understand their needs better and provide solutions accordingly. In addition to being functional and aesthetically pleasing, good design can also positively influence children’s development.

#21 This Playground Has A Sunscreen Dispenser For Kids

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#22 This Carousel In Hong Kong Has A Sea Turtle Mounted To The Floor For Disabled Children

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#23 My School Has Racks In The Front Office For Kids To Put Their Skateboards On During The Day

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“Good design can influence and enhance a child’s development,” Prof. Kopec said. “Loris Malaguzzi is the originator of the thought that all children have three teachers: their peers, adults, and the environment or classroom. Malaguzzi further believed that all children have curiosity, potential, and preparedness, which is echoed within Rachel and Stephen Kaplan’s preference module that states an environment should have four elements: coherence, legibility, complexity, mystery.

“Hence, each environment should allow for curiosity, potential, and preparedness through the inclusion of elements that allow for coherence, legibility, complexity, and mystery,” he explained.

#24 This Beautiful Bus Stop Is In Holstein, Germany. In Front Of The Local High School

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#25 Simple Way To Measure Kids Feet At My Local Shop

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#26 The Kid’s Menu At This Restaurant I Stopped In

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The professor pointed out that some groups of people are more prone to be influenced by certain design decisions; children, seniors, or people with mental disabilities, for instance. “These are important populations because they tend to be the most influenced by environment design because of the embedded symbols that carry meaning,” he said.

“This is because vision is our (human) primary sensory detection, as such, what we see is what we respond to at a basic instinctual level. Educated adults often screen out or rationalize visual cues at a subconscious level or have a larger frame of reference from which to process visual information.”

#27 Whoever Invented This In A Public Restroom To Hold My Child In Place Is A Genius

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#28 This Playground Is A Giant Ship

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#29 This Swing For Kids Waiting At The Bus Stop In Bergen, Norway

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These pictures show some of the best decisions when it comes to designing for kids or their parents; however, not all people deal with such a task equally well. If you’d like to see some examples of less well-thought-through designs for children, browse this list of hilariously inappropriate playground design fails that are hard to believe were approved.

#30 Kids Slide With Rollers Near Osaka Castle

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#31 This McDonald’s Has The Table Drop Down For Kids

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#32 This Extension For Piano Pedals Is Designed For Advanced Child Pianists Who Can’t Reach The Pedals With Their Legs Yet

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#33 This Playground Has A Velociraptor Buried In The Sandpit For Kids To Dig Up

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#34 This Cool LED Slide For The Kids

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#35 These “Mushrooms” In A Park Are Cupboards Filled With Books For Kids To Read

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#36 This Playground Equipment Is Too Genius. Mini Excavator For Kids To Play

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#37 This Station With Free-To-Borrow Lifejackets For Kids

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#38 My Son’s Shoes Have Different Color Inserts To Make It Easier For Him To Tell Left From Right

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#39 In The Europa Park Hotel In Germany, There’s A Tiny Children’s Bathroom In The Bathroom

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#40 This Enclosed Bus Stop For The Kids To Use While Waiting In The Cold

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#41 School Rewards Kids With Tokens For The Book Machine

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#42 They Have Built-In Children Seats In The Madrid Bus

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#43 A Shopping Mall In My City Has A Giant Artificial Tree For Kids To Play In

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#44 This Cool Kid’s Washroom

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#45 This Cloth Screen Goes Over The Door Hinge, At A Preschool, To Keep Kids From Getting Their Fingers Smashed

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#46 This Dairy Queen Has A Door Just For The Kids

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#47 So My Wife And I Were Shopping For A Children’s Car-Seat. We Were Not Disappointed

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#48 This Picnic Table Has A Built-In Seat For Infants And A Small Bench For Kids

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#49 The Taps In Our Kindergarten Have Googly Eyes And Caps To Entertain Children

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#50 This Bowling Alley Has A Dragon-Shaped Ball Aimer/Launcher For Little Kids To Use

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#51 My Local Dominos Has A Stand For Kids To Come Up And Watch Them Make Pizzas

Source: boredpanda.com